Northern Switch Gear Senior Football Championship – Group 1
Lámh Dhearg 2-10 Dunloy 1-6
Sunday 1 September
Brendan McTaggart reports from Slemish Park, Ballymena
Lámh Dhearg progressed to the quarter finals as Group 1 winners as they saw off Dunloy with seven points to spare. It was a controlled performance from the Hannahstown side who made the most of the elements in the first half and kept the Cuchullains at arm’s length after the restart.
They did have to withstand a Dunloy fightback with the Cuchullains reducing the five point half time deficit to the minimum just five minutes into the second half but with Paddy Cunningham in imperious form, the Lámh’s showed their experience of such occasions.
With both sides already guaranteed a place in the last eight, this might have been seen as a dead rubber but it was played with some niggle – perhaps with memories of the last encounter between the sides in the championship of 2023.
Cunningham would top score for the Lámh’s with three of his seven points coming from play while Marc Jordan and Daniel Murray scored their majors. Murray’s goal settling his side after Dunloy looked to be gaining an upperhand in the contest. Jordan, Terry McCrudden and Owen McKeown were lively throughout with Conor Murray giving the Dunloy defence plenty to think about.
Eoin McFerran excelled for the Cuchullains while Deaglan Smith was heavily influential throughout. Aodhan McGarry and Ryan McFarline were busy throughout but Dunloy found the going tough to penetrate a well organised Red Hands defence.
The Lámh’s showed one change from their win against Aldergrove with Ross Murray coming into the starting 15 while the Cuchullains made six changes from their win against Naomh Éanna – Dunloy juggling their players on dual responsibilities.
Playing with the aid of a considerable breeze at their backs, the Lámh’s made a strong start in the opening quarter. They had Dunloy on the backfoot for long periods in that 15 minutes and opened a five point lead. Marc Jordan with strong, trademark runs and opened the scoring while Cunningham’s first free of the match followed to double their lead in the second minute.
The opening major came in the seventh minute and came through a strong counter attack, led by McCrudden. He lured the Dunloy defence and passed to Cunningham. He found Jordan in space in front of the Dunloy goals and he had the easiest of tasks, palming the ball to the back of the net.
Any Dunloy attacks were fleeting but they did have a massive goal opportunity in the 10th minute. Michael Smith laying the ball into Karl Fitzpatrick and while his effort was on target, he went for placement over power and was never likely to beat Gerard Smyth in the Lámh Dhearg goals. With Eoin O’Neill in space on the outside of Fitzpatrick, it was a massive chance that the Cuchullains really should have done better from.
A brace of points from Cunningham stretched the Lámh’s lead to seven points, the second of those coming from play and a quite brilliant score. Wide on the left, it was an instinctive score and one that we’ve seen plenty of times through the years.
It would mark an end to that initial dominance from the Lámh’s with Dunloy beginning to get a foothold in midfield. Lámh Dhearg wouldn’t score for another 15 minutes and while Dunloy had the lions share of possession in second quarter, their approach was more methodical as they tried to break through a solid Lámh Dhearg defence.
The opening Cuchullains score came from Eoin O’Neill in the 18th minute and a free from Anthony Smith doubled their tally four minutes later. Their renaissance could have been better, but they recorded a couple of wides when in good position.
Scoring chances were at a premium in the time that remained but a pacey counterattack from the Lámh’s resulted in Owen McKeown splitting the uprights while Anthony Smith doubled his tally with a brilliant score, wide on the right with his left foot. A super score against the elements and with next to no angle to work with. It left the Lámh’s 1-5 to 0-3 ahead at half time.
Five points was far from an insurmountable deficit for Dunloy to recover from and while Cunningham fired over his third free and fourth point of the match made it six, Lámh Dhearg wouldn’t register another score for 18 minutes as Dunloy forwards went to work.
Brothers, Michael and Deaglan joined Anthony Smith on the scoreboard before Chrissy McMahon found the back of the Lámh Dhearg net in the 35th minute. The Dunloy forwards forced a turnover ball and Karl Fitzpatrick bore down on the goals. He unselfishly passed to McMahon and he was the coolest man in Slemish Park with his finish.
The Cuchullains were well on top in the middle third and putting Gerard Smyth under pressure from his restarts but the Lámh’s experience shone as they weathered the Dunloy pressure.
Cunningham got his second of the half with a brilliant score with the outside of his left boot before Declan Lynch fired over. Lynch’s score coming at the end of a patient move that saw them hold onto the ball and wait for the right moment to execute.
The Lámh’s second major came in the 46th minute and the result of a powerful running move that saw a serious of quick and incisive passes. Daniel Murray with the finish but it was a quite brilliant team move that Dunloy were powerless to stop.
Murray’s goal looked to take the wind out of the Dunloy sails as the Lámh’s were happy to keep possession and frustrate the Cuchullains. Eoin O’Neill doubled his tally for the match with a brilliant score with the outside of his boot in the 50th minute but it would prove to be Dunloy’s last of the match. Lámh Dhearg and Cunningham had the final say with a brace of points (one free) to add further gloss to the scoreline.
The Lámh’s will face Creggan in two weeks time while Dunloy will face St Brigid’s with a place in the last four on the line.
TEAMS
Lamh Dhearg: Gerard Smyth; Ben Rice, Mark McGarry, Ross Murray; Owen McKeown, Declan Lynch, Declan Smyth; Pearse Fitzsimmons, Marc Jordan; Daniel Murray, Terry McCrudden, Shaun McManus; Paddy Cunningham, Michael Herron, Conor Murray
Subs: Declan Dunne for S McManus (35); Callum Tegan-Lappin for D Murray (55); Fionn Mervyn for R Murray (60)
Scorers: P Cunningham 0-7 (4fs); M Jordan 1-1; D Murray 1-00; D Lynch 0-1; O Murray 0-1
Dunloy: Sean Doherty; Oran Quinn, Eoin McFerran, James Scally; Chrissy McMahon, Deaglan Smith, Ciaran McQuillan; Aodhan McGarry, Ryan McFarline; Tom McFerran, Caolan Gillan, Eoin O’Neill; Anthony Smith, Michael Smith, Karl Fitzpatrick
Subs: Cathaoir McCloskey for J Scally (42); Barry McCloskey for K Fitzpatrick (48); Anton McGrath for C McMahon (54); Kevin McQuillan for E O’Neill (54)
Scorers: C McMahon 1-00; A Smith 0-2 (1f); E O’Neill 0-2; M Smith 0-1; D Smith 0-1
Referee: Conall Roberts (Naomh Eoin)
FOR MORE OF BRENDAN McTAGGARTS PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/m2uQvH9aeGrfd6/?invite=002ce534-84c9-41e7-ae25-d4d05a269642